The good folks at the Hoosier State Press Association are partnering with all-around good guy Dave McChesney and his 1Up Software Company to create a first-of-its-kind motorcycle ride for newspaper folks (including readers) from anywhere in Indiana.

Why should you care – besides the fact that you are currently one of those aforementioned newspaper readers? Because the whole thing begins right here in downtown Crawfordsville.

Did you know that Claude Johnson is getting another firetruck ready to go to Mexico? Yup, Claude and the local Rotarians continue to send truck after truck after truck to our neighbors down south. While Donald Trump spouts off, Claude and folks like him do the kind of good deeds that make a positive difference in peoples’ lives.

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YOU MAY HAVE also noticed a story and photo of Claude in your favorite Montgomery County daily a week or so ago. Claude sent a letter to the King of Jordan offering his condolences over the loss of a Jordanian airman who was captured, tortured and killed by ISIS. He did it because he’s a former military guy who understands things about war. And death. And honor. He did it because that’s who Claude Johnson is.

Thing is, what he didn’t do was expect a reply. However, the king or his court did exactly that and Claude was kind enough to share the story with us so that we could share it with you.

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with a heart condition. My heart and specifically the place where it connects to a valve was bigger than it should be. Or maybe the valve was too little. I’m kind of fuzzy on the details. One doc said something about cracking open my chest and fixing it.

So I did what I’ve always done in my life when I got bad news. I went and asked someone else.

The second opinion was much more to my liking. I’m pleased to report that I take a few pills now and the aforementioned chest is still intact.

So, you would think that was a great wake-up call. After all, I’ve been a guy whose weight was hovering around three bills. Drank too much. Ate all the wrong things. A no-brainer, right?

There I was, minding my own business. Just got back from delivering newspapers on a Saturday morning – and you thought being a CEO was glamorous – when it seemed like a giant shadow passed over the sun. I looked up and blotting out all the light while filling the entire frame of my door was John Hammer.

“Great ghost of Lew Wallace!” I yelled. “Don’t you ever think about knocking? How do you walk in without making noise? How do you get up here anyways?”

Last week, the Indiana Democratic Party staged an event that their own press release described as “opposition to (Indiana Gov. Mike) Pence’s arrogant and out of touch agenda that has crippled the middle class and held Indiana back from reaching its full potential . . . (Pence and his polices) have increased the wage gap, cut education funding for urban and rural schools and caused an economic panic across Indiana.”

A day before that they sent this out:

“Hoosiers (sic) Democrats will bring commonsense (sic) solutions to help solve today’s problems for hardworking (sic) families. Not only will it be priority to add LGBT Hoosiers to the state’s nondiscrimination (sic) laws, but Democrats will fight to help unite all families in Indiana.”

I’ve been writing columns of one sort or another for more than 40 years now. The first one was in 1973 and got me yelled at by a coach I’d taken to task. You’d think over all these decades that I’d either have gotten better or at least learned to stop writing things that landed me in hot water.

Wrong on both counts.

However, there are a few things I write every once in a blue moon that the eight or nine of you who regularly read this drivel seem to enjoy. Not sure why that is, but I’m appreciative. One of those things is the silly semblance of a graduation speech, which this year, got a fair amount more feedback than normal. Since all the feedback was of the nice variety, it inspired me to write an addendum. (Hey, if you don’t like it, blame yourselves – you encouraged me.)

If you want to lose some weight, get in shape and do a real solid for the community then you should consider applying to take part in The Challenge. And you should apply soon, because we’re getting great response!

If this is new to you, here’s the scoop. The Challenge is a 10-week workout and exercise program where participants will work out twice a week at Athena Sport & Fitness, get great help and tips on nutrition from experts at Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health and raise money for the Montgomery County Boys & Girls Club through MUFFY.

Several leaders from around the community took last year and more are scheduled to do so again this year. However, the program is being expanded this year. That, my friends, is where you can come in. If you want to take part, e-mail a 300-word essay to challenge@thepaper24-7.com and tell us why you want to do this and how much money you plan on raising. To give you the inside track, we’re looking for people who will take this seriously, show up each week and raise at least $1,000 for the good folks at the Boys & Girls Club.

His name and particularly his voice are synonymous with the Indianapolis 500. He’s been in movies with the likes of Tom Cruise and Will Ferrell. He has worked alongside the most well-known and famous stars of Indy car as well as NASCAR. He was on the original team that launched ESPN and later worked for NBC Sports.

And he lives right here in Crawfordsville.

Bob Jenkins recently sat down and talked about the life he’s led and how he ended up moving to Crawfordsville last October. For some, it’s a life that’s hard to imagine. For the 67-year-old, despite some personal tragedies, it’s one he’s extremely thankful for.

“I’m just a race fan who got lucky,” he said while sipping coffee in Allen’s Country Kitchen in downtown Crawfordsville last week.

Jenkins knows about small towns. He grew up in Liberty, Ind., the county seat of Union County, just a short chute drive away from Ohio. It was a small town during a very different time.

A lot of people followed The Challenge. I know this because I’ve been asked about it more times than I can count – although technically, that may not be saying very much. The questions vary. Some people want to know how much weight I lost. Some wanted to know who won. Some asked how much money we raised for MUFFY.

But there was one thing that almost everyone asked about – how do I sign up for The Challenge next time?

Well friends, next time is here and if you want to know how to get involved, read on.

Let’s quickly recap. Last year, the good folks at your favorite Montgomery County daily came up with the crazy idea of having a weight-loss challenge with the idea of raising money for MUFFY. Of course there were multiple good partners from around the community who jumped in to help –none bigger than Athena Sport & Fitness and the good folks at Franciscan-St. Elizabeth.

Forty years ago I proudly became part of the 100th graduating class from Noblesville High School. Donned a cap and gown. Sweltered in a hot gymnasium. Gave a speech. Yes, gave a speech. Some 350 or so students and all those adults connected one way or another listened to yours truly wax poetic about John F. Kennedy, hopes, dreams and yadda, yadda, yadda. My point? If this were a classified ad I can put in that I have experience.

So why is it I sit by the phone, year in and year out, waiting for schools to call and ask me to speak at their graduation? Does the phone ring? Does a bear play Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in the woods?

Once again, then, I am left to share wisdom accumulated over a lifetime of worn-out Weejuns that have traipsed from one coast to the left and back again.